


Sanditon - ideas for Season 2 episode by episode

by thesispyre2007



Category: Sanditon (TV 2019), Sanditon - Jane Austen
Genre: F/M, Fix-It, Outline for Season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-05 21:01:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21215018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesispyre2007/pseuds/thesispyre2007
Summary: I wrote this outline of 8 episodes for a Season 2 of Sanditon in order to deal with the disappointing cliffhanger ending written by Andrew Davies. I hope most loose ends are tied up here. There are a few jumps in logic, but I have tried to make the characters decisions fit within the rules of JA while also knowing what AD clearly does, that these social rules, strictly applied, would make a hell of a boring watch for modern audiences.I have also borrowed and adapted characters and scenes from other JA books as well as other novels, and I have been more sympathetic to the characters, than JA would have been. In Austen’s world, characters are judged quite harshly for their lapses in behaviour, but I felt poor Otis, Edward, Clara, Eliza and even Tom needed some redemption – especially if we are meant to extend our forgiveness to bare-knuckle fighting, “boarding house”- visiting Sidney as well! Also, the idea that active, striving Charlotte would be left in the position of waiting passively for Sidney to sort himself out and come back to her was an anathema to me, so I tried very hard to give her something to do in a believable way for the time and setting.*** COMPLETE ***





	Sanditon - ideas for Season 2 episode by episode

Episode 1

Season 2 opens with Charlotte waking Sidney from sleep with a soft kiss. Sidney, she whispers. He jolts out of bed in a panic – it was another dream and the reality of his situation dawns on him again. He gets up and splashes water on his face and looks out the window in anguish “I must conquer this”. It’s clear he dreams along these lines almost every night. 

It is autumn, Charlotte is back in Willingden. It is early morning and she is lying awake in her bed while her sister sleeps beside her. In the drawing room she tries hard to take an interest in things at home but her spirits are clearly low. Her parents observe the change in her with concern but are reluctant to question her, assuming that Willingden is perhaps a bit dull after the diversions of Sanditon. They encourage her to walk to the village. She and Alison, who is the only one who knows what has happened in Sanditon, walk together and talk. Alison tries hard to cheer her up. 

Sidney is in Sanditon, trying to forget Charlotte. He has thrown himself into helping Tom rebuild the town’s fortunes and is keeping away from Eliza, who is in London planning the elaborate London wedding which will happen in spring. He is working closely with Stringer as well, who has been professional but quite cold with him. He is also depressed and spending far too much time in the Crowne hotel drinking with Crowe. Even Crowe seems struck by the change in Sidney, but shakes off his moment of fleeting concern. He’s glad to have one fun friend now that Babbers has been domesticated. Crowe mentions that he has not heard one word from Babbers since he and Esther travelled to the continent for their wedding tour, and (wink/nudge) there are some advantages to having a wife, eh? Crowe reminds Sidney that he only has until the spring wedding to have a good time so they had better drink up!

Sidney visits Georgiana at Mrs Griffith's house and she makes her disdain for him clear. She confronts Sidney with his drinking and tells him that he's a hypocrite for judging Otis but then engaging himself to Mrs Campion and breaking Charlotte’s heart so brutally in the process. She knew he couldn’t be trusted and never understood why her father had so much faith in him. It would have saved everyone a lot of pain had Sidney simply been left to die in a gutter where her father found him. She is surprised that he is more saddened than angry at her provoking words. He says that she is right and he does not deserve Charlotte; she’ll be better off without him. He leaves. Georgiana is shocked by his reaction.

Back in the drawing room of Trafalgar House, Mary receives a letter from Charlotte. She notices how Sidney reacts when she mentions it. The children ask when they will be able to play boats with him and Admiral Heywood again and his mask slips for a moment. He looks emotional, starts up out of his chair, and hurries out of the room. Mary is startled and concerned by this strange behaviour, and it suddenly dawns on her that Sidney must be in love with Charlotte. She asks Tom if he has noticed that Sidney does not seem happy since his engagement, but Tom replies “How could he not be! He will finally marry the woman he’s waited ten years for!” Then he starts talking about his plans for Sanditon. Mary is unconvinced. Later in the evening when all is quiet in the house she sees Sidney alone in the study. He is sat with his head in his hands, in despair. She does not disturb him, but her face is etched with worry and concern and guilt. She glances up at his portrait in the hall and goes upstairs.

Episode 2

Back in Willingden, Charlotte receives an invitation from Lady Susan to spend the “season” with her in London. Charlotte is reluctant to accept, but her parents encourage her to go, hoping that it will cheer her up and telling her she should take these opportunities to see the world when they arise. She admits to Alison that she is afraid of being in town while Sidney and Eliza are there and of seeing them. Alison points out that Lady S’s letter makes clear that "certain people" will remain in Sanditon until the wedding. She jokes that she might even meet the Prince Regent! 

Tom is blithely continuing with his grand plans for Sanditon. He is so wrapped up in them that he finally starts to test Sidney’s patience. His newest idea is to tear down the old Parker house above Sanditon where they all grew up and where he and Mary spent their first married years and replace it with a pleasure garden and a Gothic folly. This sparks a disagreement with Sidney, who reminds Tom that he must be careful about what he spends now and try to cut back where he can rather than make new plans. Tom questions Sidney’s commitment to Sanditon’s growth and suggests that he doesn’t appreciate all that Tom has sacrificed to make this project work. Sidney finally snaps: “How dare you speak to me about your sacrifices? You have no idea what I have given up for this place! I have given up everything for you and for Sanditon, my honour, my self-respect, my future, my happiness, my Char….” He storms off to the Crowne before he reveals too much. 

Tom is upset and confused: why would Sidney begrudge him his happiness about Sanditon being saved when he gets to marry his lost love in the bargain? A worried Mary, who witnesses most of this scene from the doorway, finally serves Tom a few home truths. She forces him to listen to her and to hear how much everyone has had to sacrifice in order to make his dreams a reality. She tells him of her suspicions about Sidney’s feelings for Charlotte, and that it’s clear he’s marrying Mrs Campion so that he can raise the money to save them. Furthermore, she tells Tom that he needs to start solving his own problems rather than expecting Sidney to fix things for him. They have all asked far too much from Sidney. She sees that now and is ashamed. Anyone can see that he is teetering on the edge, and he will certainly resent Tom for denying him a chance at happiness especially after all that he’s already been through. She will always love Tom and stand by him, but his selfishness and lack of responsibility has diminished her respect for him. He must find a way to save his brother from a life of misery by any means possible. She leaves in disgust. Suddenly, Tom realises what he has done. 

We have a flashback to the Parkers’ happy childhood in the old country house near Sanditon, and the long painful death of their father witnessed by a sad 10-year-old Sidney. Old Mr Parker says a final good bye to all his children and extracts a promise from his oldest son and heir Tom (18-years old) to protect and care for his siblings, and to especially watch over Sidney who seems stronger and bolder than the others but takes things very much to heart.

Meanwhile, over at the Crowne Inn, Sidney has had a few too many drinks. He runs into James Stringer. He calls Stringer over to his table and tells hims that he has a great deal of respect for his talents and that he should get more credit from Tom. Stringer is respectful but cold. Sidney is used to being a “man’s man” and is a bit offended by having his offer to buy a round refused. After more stilted business talk, he finally tells Stringer to just tell him honestly what his problem is. (subconsciously, of course, Sidney wants to be told off, and he wants to talk about his relationship with Charlotte openly for once). As directed, Stringer serves him some straight talk – it’s clearly a relief for both men: Sidney is a weak cad for what he did to Miss Heywood; She’s the best, brightest, bravest woman he’s ever known and any man who would throw away a woman like that is a fool! He never deserved her! Sidney grows angry and a bit jealous and says that Stringer couldn’t possibly understand why he had to put his brother and Sanditon before his own wishes. Everyone’s livelihood including Stringer’s own depends on his marriage. Stringer does understands that Sidney has sold himself for money. He asks what sort of man would lead on and then ruin the happiness of a woman like Miss Heywood. Stringer then ups the ante to suggest that a real man wouldn’t lose himself in self-indulgence but would put all his energy into finding an honourable solution. Sidney reaches across the table and grabs Stringer by the shirt. For a moment it looks as though they might actually fight. Sidney growls something under his breath about how Stringer just wants Charlotte for himself. Stringer looks for a minute as though he might punch Sidney in the face, but instead he pushes Sidney away and stares him down with a look of pity. He leaves the Crowne. Sidney sweeps his ale off the table to relieve his feelings. 

Episode 3

Winter: Charlotte arrives in London to the grand home of Lady Susan. She is immediately swept up into the social whirl. She is now much more fashionably but still simply dressed, and her hair is always done. Her beauty is remarked upon, but she is still the fresh, honest, charming, intelligent woman we know and love. As Lady S means to help her enjoy herself, she introduces Charlotte to a number of eligible, young men. She particularly asks Sir John to take care of Charlotte. He is gentlemanly, handsome, kind and intelligent. He makes Charlotte smile and eventually draws her out of herself. He’s also well off and considered a good match. 

Sir John is very measured and witty and they have many interesting conversations, one of which is about affection versus practical concerns in marriage. Charlotte becomes less reserved and loses herself in conversation with him: she is firmly of the opinion that successful marriages can only be based on mutual affection. Sir John argues that although this is obviously the best case, affection can also grow, especially where there are no pecuniary stresses; a lack of money on the other hand, can turn the most affectionate marriage into a prison. Charlotte considers this, but argues that compatibility plays a huge part in the success of any marriage rich or poor – it cannot be a purely practical decision. And in any case how much money is enough? She also mentions that she believes in Aristotle’s notion that self-love is essential to love. Sir John is hugely surprised at where this conversation has gone and is torn between deep admiration and doubt about the propriety of the topic. “Upon my word Miss Heywood, you are uncommonly opinionated and informed for a young lady!”  
He also gives her a gentle reminder that she should be careful not to give the wrong impression by discussing such topics openly in society and especially with gentlemen. She is momentarily embarrassed and apologetic – recollecting herself. Seeing that he has dampened her spirit, he lightens the mood and puts her back at ease by saying “But who gives a fig for society, eh Miss Heywood?” 

Charlotte is increasingly thrown into the company of Sir John, and she begins to regard him as a friend and ally in the mad London whirl of Lady S’s circle. He acts as a kind of guide and protector, explaining who is who and relaying the gossip. He is very urbane and funny, polite and controlled, he always says the right thing and always knows what to do – the perfect gentleman, but he is also a bit too concerned with the world’s opinions and tends to valorize passive elegance and the status quo over effort. This provides a contrast with Charlotte’s more active, open and striving nature. However, he is very attracted to Charlotte’s honesty. He intended only a light flirtation with Lady S’s guest for the season, as he was instructed, but she has unwittingly drawn him into a more honest interaction. Charlotte allows herself to enjoy and seek out his company.

Charlotte also catches a glimpse of Sir Edward at a London party – he is gambling, and drunk and generally becoming increasingly dissolute. 

In Sanditon, Sidney leaves to go to London for a few days on business. He looks tired, and Tom finally sees what Mary has spoken of: he is shocked when he realizes that his brother is desperately unhappy. He also sees that he has to do everything he can to save his younger brother and to put his family first. While Sidney is gone, Tom takes stock of his situation and begins to try to put his business in order. He starts scaling back his lifestyle, including looking into relocating from Trafalgar House and binning his grandiose plans for Sanditon as well as compiling a list of potential new investors to approach.

In London, Charlotte is presented to the Prince Regent st a gathering. Lady S mentions Charlotte’s connection to Sanditon. The Prince recollects that Babington has also mentioned the place and expresses some vague but careless interest in it before leaving with his entourage. Eliza Campion is also there. She approaches Charlotte, patronizes her about her country background, and triumphantly talks about her upcoming spring wedding to Sidney. Charlotte is saved from this by Sir John. Eliza later observes with interest that Charlotte is being courted by Sir John.

Lord and Lady Babington are also there, freshly returned from their wedding tour on the continent. They are delighted to see Charlotte and tell her about their travels to Venice and Rome. They are very happy together, but this is somewhat marred by running into a drunken Sir Edward who makes unpleasant innuendos. Esther looks at Edward with pity and swiftly puts him in his place, making clear that she has moved on and he should too. Lord B appears and tells Edward that he will kill him if he ever dares to speak to his wife again, but Esther calms the situation and gently pulls her husband away. That evening as Babs is taking down her hair she admits that she was disturbed by this encounter and by seeing her stepbrother brought so low. He looks worried and asks seriously if she is having any second thoughts about marrying him, but she smiles full of love and pulls him in for a passionate kiss – she loves only Babington.

Later we see Edward gambling and drinking at a wild party, he catches a glimpse of someone that looks familiar. He follows her and grabs her arm – it is Clara Brereton.

Episode 4

Having thought over Georgiana’s words, Sidney has gone to London expressly to make some discreet inquiries about Otis. Is seems that Otis has turned his life around after Sidney paid his debts – he has stopped gambling entirely, has been working hard to make his business a success, and has thrown himself into his work with the Sons of Africa movement. Indeed, he has received attention in parliament for his work in that direction and seems interested in pursuing a political career in the future. Sidney attends a political meeting in which Otis distinguishes himself, and afterwards the two meet and talk. Sidney is impressed by the change. It is clear that Otis is reconciled to the fact that he has lost Georgiana for ever. Otis says that the man he was did not deserve her and that Sidney was right to keep her from him, but he now wants to be a better man because even though he knows that he has missed his chance with Georgiana, he cannot bear the idea that he has lost her for nothing – what a waste that would be and what a dishonour to her. Sidney is struck and touched by his words. They shake hands and Sidney sincerely wishes him luck in his future.

Tom approaches Young Stringer with his new scaled back plans for Sanditon; he acknowledges that he has taken Stringer’s work for granted and asks if he will take a larger role as a partner, heading up the production side of things and all the architectural planning. This is a big step up for Stringer, financially and socially, and he is surprised and pleased that he is finally getting recognition for all of his hard work. Lady Denham approves the new partnership and tells Stringer that he needs to keep an eye on Tom, as he can’t be trusted with money.

Sidney has tried to avoid Eliza while he is in London. He only wanted to speak to Otis and then rush back to Sanditon, but Arthur and Diana (who have moved back to Bedford Square) have mentioned his presence in town to his fiancée. Eliza turns up at Bedford Square and more or less orders him to attend her at a gathering at Lord and Lady Derry's house that evening. She even tells him which waistcoat to wear. Their relationship is a superficial one, with Eliza seeking to dominate and control him; she treats him as an accessory that she has bought. Sidney seethes inwardly but keeps his mask firmly in place. He cannot refuse, especially with Otis’s words ringing in his ears. They arrive at the gathering where Sidney refuses all drink and stalks around on the fringes of the gathering despite Mrs Campion's best efforts to put him on display.  
Sidney soon spots a radiant Charlotte and Sir John deep in conversation in a corner of the room. Charlotte is talking about modern architecture with knowledge and intelligence before smiling and laughing at one of Sir John's jokes. Charlotte looks up suddenly and sees a jealous/sad/longing Sidney staring at her from across the room, her bright smile disappears. Sir John asks if she is all right, and she says “Oh yes. Forgive me, I was just reminded of something”. She struggles to regain her composure but turns her attention back to her conversation with Sir John. Sidney is very rattled by this; he makes his excuses to Eliza and leaves for Sanditon immediately. When Charlotte is brave enough to look back to where Sidney was standing, she sees that he is gone.

Episode 5

Sidney arranges for Otis to come to Sanditon, and under the careful chaperonage of Mrs Griffiths, Georgiana and Otis’s courtship is tentatively rekindled. Georgiana later finds a moment to thank Sidney for giving her and Otis a second chance. He reminds her that she and Otis must not rush things. They must try and be sure of each other before making any commitments, but that they have his blessing. He also acknowledges that it is unforgivable that he has been such an unfeeling and disinterested guardian to her, especially considering what he owed to her father who was like a father to him, mentoring and assisting him during a time in his own life when he most needed guidance. He asks for her forgiveness. The very least he could do is to help her to have the happiness she deserves and that he cannot have himself. She tells him that he must not lose hope that he will one day be happy too. Georgiana gives Sidney her hand which he holds with both his hands in a tender and brotherly fashion. For the first time they look at each other with understanding. She watches him leave with gratitude and pity and then, after a moment's thought, she sits down to write a letter. 

Sidney finds Stringer on the building site scaffolding. Sidney congratulates Stringer on his new position as partner and suggests that between them they might be able to contain Tom's worst impulses. He apologizes for his behaviour in the Crowne and thanks Stringer for his candour. It’s so hard to find anyone who will speak the simple truth. He admits to Stringer he that he still loves Charlotte and wishes everything were different but that he is now honourbound to Mrs Campion and therefore to try to make her happy. Even though it is extremely painful for him to contemplate, he also hopes that Charlotte will find someone who is worthy of her. Stringer smiles and shakes his head. He says that he can’t begin to understand the social codes of the gentry, but in his opinion posh folk seem to make things far more complicated than they are: life’s too short to not go after the things you want. The two men have reached a friendly entente. 

Meanwhile, during a winter stroll in a park in London with Lady S et al., Sir John proposes marriage to Charlotte. She is taken aback and rather artlessly tells him that it's impossible because she doesn’t love him, and in any case she doesn’t think marriage is for her. “What a singular lady you are Miss Heywood!” he replies. He tells her to take her time in giving him an answer and there is no rush. He can wait as long as she needs, but he knows they would be happy together. She looks very concerned - it has never occurred to her that Sir John might fall in love with her. He lightens the mood by telling her to think of all his tenants’ cottages that need refurbishing, which makes her laugh. Later Lady S asks her about Sir John’s intentions, and Charlotte says she now feels she is unsuited for marriage and would rather find something useful to do on her father’s estate. Lady Susan is unconvinced.

Sidney visits Lord Babington at Sanditon House. Lord and Lady B are visiting Lady D after their return from the continent. Lord and Lady B are such a picture of domestic felicity (Lady B is now visibly pregnant though she is a bit grumpy about it) that Sidney is quite envious and says so. He also says that he is very happy for his old friend. Lord B says, somewhat doubtfully, that he hopes Sidney will be as happy in his marriage to Eliza. Lady B is less subtle and pointedly mentions seeing Charlotte looking radiantly beautiful in London. Lady D enters and lives up to her reputation as an old dragon. She makes a few uncomfortable but not unkind comments about Miss Heywood and even says Sanditon has become quite dull without her. She also asks Sidney why his marriage is taking so long to come about and talks freely about Mrs Campion's money saving Tom's bacon. Sidney smiles politely and says nothing, but he is uncomfortable and soon makes his excuses. Lord B follows him out and asks him outright what went wrong with Miss Heywood: “I assume she refused you?”. Babbers apologizes for having been so wrapped up in his own happiness after the midsummer ball and in the lead up to his wedding that he hadn’t asked until now. In all the years he has known him, he had never seen Sidney look so happy as when he was at that Midsummer ball; now that he’s engaged again to the long-desired Eliza he seems more miserable than ever. Sidney implies that he has struck a bargain with Eliza in order to save Tom at the expense of his own happiness. He also admits that he’s drowning and doesn’t know how to disentangle himself from this mess – he realizes that he can’t love Eliza and that he must have been insane to think it possible. He fears that this mistake will ultimately destroy both of them, but he can't see how his freedom can be bought at the cost of his brother, Mary and the children. Babs can’t believe that he didn’t come to him for help earlier – he will ask around and find a financial solution, but the engagement is a more complicated matter! 

Sir Edward and Clara have rekindled their toxic relationship in London and have come up with a successful money-making scheme that involves swindling gullible rich people. Edward’s title and Clara’s beauty and intelligence have opened many doors for them in this regard. In bed, they discuss their success in London and their plans to take their schemes to the continent – this clearly excites them both.

Episode 6

It is spring, Georgiana and Otis are married in Sanditon church to general rejoicing. Charlotte is there with Lady Susan. Sidney gives Georgiana away and Charlotte is her maid of honour. Sidney and Charlotte sneak a few sad glances at each other but nothing more. Sidney is there with Eliza but his eyes are drinking in Charlotte. His wedding to Eliza is only a month away. Lady D is there to make comments that put everyone on the spot and reveal uncomfortable truths. Charlotte has a joyful reunion with Tom and Mary, Arthur and Diana, and meets Stringer as friends. She shares fond memories of Sanditon and talks about its future with him, asking his opinion on her ideas for tenant cottages in Willingden as she will be returning home soon and plans to help her father. Charlotte congratulates Stringer on his new position as a partner and mentions that she hopes her sister Alison will come to Sanditon next summer, as she’s sure she would love it and has a keen interest in architecture too. From afar, Sidney jealously observes the friendliness and ease of conversation she has with others but cannot have with him. Stringer promises to show Alison all of the beauties of Sanditon when she visits. Lady Susan and Babs are speaking to each other, and later Lady S hands a letter to Tom before she and Charlotte get in the carriage to return to London.

Tom’s plans are starting to come to fruition: he has been scaling back his lifestyle and his plans considerably. He was in the process of moving out of Trafalgar House, but now he has a new investor who is willing to make up the lion’s share of the debt. Together with Lady D, Lady S, Mr and Mrs Molyneux, Mr Crowe, and Lord Babington’s investment this more than makes up for the £80 000 that he owes. Tom is ready to find Sidney and tell him the news when Eliza Campion is announced. She enters the drawing room and mentions that she is to wait for Sidney here once he has finished discussing business. She lords over Tom a bit that she is the one holding the purse strings to his project. 

Tom is glad to be able to speak to her in private. He tells her that he would like to release her from this financial obligation to his family. He is extremely grateful for her help, but he now has new investors and is able to pay back what she has advanced. He also boldly asks her to release Sidney from their engagement. They both know that Sidney is miserable, and Tom can’t believe that Eliza is happy either. Tom reminds her that he knew the young girl that she once was, and he asks her if she has been made so cynical by life that she really wants to enter into the prison of another loveless and mercenary marriage. He reminds her that it is no way to live and that she is still young and beautiful and deserves to find love. He also points out that if she ever really loved Sidney she would not subject him to more years of misery. He suffered enough when she first left him, and she should see that it is cruel to take advantage of his desire to save his family now. She must do the honourable thing and break it off with him before it is too late for them both. Eliza is taken aback. She points out that Tom was willing to let Sidney sacrifice himself when it suited him. Tom looks ashamed of himself. He says she is right, but he now sees it was the biggest mistake of his life and he will never forgive himself if he is the cause of Sidney’s future unhappiness.

Sidney rings the bell and stalks in. A subdued Tom leaves the two together, hoping that he has said enough to open Eliza’s eyes. Alone in the Parker house, Eliza initiates a frank and emotional conversation with Sidney about their past and how they have both changed. Eliza states the obvious, that Sidney is unhappy in their engagement and that neither of them can recapture what they had 10 years ago - they missed their chance. Sidney is surprised by this change in her but he agrees. He says it is also clear to him that Eliza’s feeling for him are also not what they were, and that because of their past he would hate to subject Eliza to another loveless marriage - she deserves better than he can offer. Eliza softens. She says that there is nothing to do but break it off. However, in a parting blow, she slyly mentions that if he means to propose to Miss Heywood he may already be too late – the talk of London is that she is about to make a very advantageous match with Sir John, as anyone with eyes can see he’s head over heels in love with her. 

Tom and Mary find a pensive Sidney in the drawing room. He tells them Eliza has broken off the engagement. He will move heaven and earth to find new investors for Sanditon, and Lord Babington has already pledged to help with his connections, but he will not let anything happen to Tom and his family in the meantime. Tom interrupts him and says that he is doing what he always should have done – fixing his own financial problems. He tells Sidney that he (really mostly Babington) has all of the investors they need to complete the rebuilding. Their friends have all come together to rebuild sanditon. He is ashamed that Sidney ever felt he had to sacrifice his happiness for him and for Sanditon, and he would never have let it happen had he known that Sidney loved Charlotte. Sidney's eyes light up. Tom tells Sidney to go find Charlotte and grasp his chance at happiness.

Sidney embraces his brother and kisses Mary. He catches the next London coach, presumably in pursuit of Charlotte. Tom joyfully tells Mary that one of his investors is the Prince Regent and they won't have to leave Trafalgar House after all and can go ahead with all of his grand plans! Mary is very happy but also tries, without success, to temper Tom's enthusiasm. Now that he has done his duty by Sidney he has already forgotten all the pain and hurt he caused and begins to make new plans with his town model.

Episode 7

Sidney returns to London. He presents himself at Lady Susan’s house where he is ushered into a room full of fashionable friends. There is some awkward small talk between Charlotte and Sidney about Georgiana’s wedding. Lady S decides to break the ice and ask about his wedding plans. Sidney somehow manages to gets out that Mrs Campion has broken the engagement. Lady S does not seem surprised, but the others begin chattering about this new gossip. A shocked Charlotte shakily puts down her tea cup and Sidney watches her anxiously. After a few minutes, she quietly makes an excuse to leave the room and collect herself. Sidney follows her into the hallway and clumsily declares himself. Charlotte is overcome with emotion, but says that she cannot bear a scene at this moment. She needs to think and can he please just leave. She runs upstairs, and Lady S materializes in the hallway. She kindly tells Sidney that he can’t just sweep back into Charlotte’s life as though nothing has happened. Things have changed. He asks Lady S if it’s too late (indicating Sir John); she smiles but says nothing. She tells him this is not the time or place for such discussions, but mentions that they will be attending Mrs M’s ball tonight and perhaps he should come as well. She gently steers him out the door and the footman closes it behind him. 

At the ball, Sidney searches for Charlotte but she is difficult to find in the throng. He finally sees her dancing with tall and handsome Sir John. Charlotte is distracted when she sees Sidney enter the room, but she tries to concentrate on Sir John who is attempting to engage her in banter. Sir J teases her for being dull this evening and asks if she has thought any more about his proposal. She tells him that the answer is still no, though she will always be grateful for his friendship and guidance during her time in London. She doesn't want to be any man's property. He is disappointed and amused (and also a little bit patronizing), but he takes it very gracefully. He is a kind man, but a practical one and not prone to emotion. Their dance ends. Sidney appears and asks for the next set. They begin the dance in silence and are affected by being so close to one another again. Charlotte asks about Tom and Mary and tries to make small talk while avoiding his eyes. Sidney asks her to please look at him, and when she looks up he asks her about Sir John. Charlotte makes it clear that she has no plans to marry anyone! 

Feeling perversely hopeful, Sidney again tries to explain what happened with Eliza, but Charlotte grows upset and evades him. She quickly slips out of the room at the end of the dance, trying to avoid a scene. He follows her and they find themselves alone in the same room where she first met Lady Susan. He gently takes her arm to turn her around and begs her to listen to him and to let him explain what's happened. He is so caught up in finally being able to speak to her that he doesn't notice how angry she looks. She pulls her arm away from him angrily. All the months of repressed frustration and anger come rushing out. What is there to explain? How dare he act as though he can claim her after all that’s happened! Didn’t he once say that you can’t step into the same river twice?! He broke her heart and now he’s thrown aside Mrs Campion, for what? And what about Tom and Mary and Sanditon? Who does he think she is? Her anger makes him defensive and they have one of their classic arguments. She keeps interrupting him and he desperately bursts out "Let me explain, damn it!" They glare at each other for a moment in angry silence (see season 1 argument in street), and he looks for a millisecond as though he might snatch her up and kiss her, but she suddenly changes tone and says more sadly and resignedly that in any case, her time in London has made it very clear to her they are not compatible. Despite her appearance, she’s not a fashionable London lady and never will be. This is not her world and she doesn’t want to simply be at the mercy of some man again. She wants to shape her own life. She softens even further when she sees the frustration in his face turn into pain. She doesn’t think badly of him, but she also doesn’t know if she can trust him again. She leaves him, returns to Lady S’s side, whispers something and they leave the ball. Sidney looks bereft and broken-hearted.

That evening at Bedford Square an utterly dejected Sidney reveals all to his sympathetic and wise brother Arthur. He is afraid that everything he touches turns to ashes and that he ultimately doesn’t deserve to be happy. Arthur gently reminds him that Charlotte has every right to her anger and fear – just as he did so many years ago. Sidney needs to be patient and to work to earn her trust back. He must accept that it may take a while, and there are no guarantees, but he must not give up on his own life and happiness. If he finds self-love and self-forgiveness first he won’t be so empty-handed when he seeks out Charlotte again.

The next day Sidney returns to Lady Susan’s house. The footman lets him in and Lady S appears. She tells Sidney that Charlotte is preparing to return to Willingden and doesn’t want to see him. He asks if she would please pass his letter on to Charlotte. When Lady S seems reluctant, he gives her his word that that it does not contain any declarations but is simply an explanation of the events leading up to his broken engagement. She deserves to hear what happened from him directly.

Lady S and Charlotte say their good-byes. As Charlotte gets in the carriage to go back to Willingden, Lady S hands her Sidney’s letter. Charlotte reads the letter on the journey home (told in flashbacks with voice over):

Miss Heywood,

Please pardon me for the freedom I have taken in writing to you. Rest assured I will not seek to importune you here with my feelings, indeed I have promised Lady Worcester that this letter will contain no such renewals. I write merely with the wish of providing an account of the events during the months since I saw you last in Sanditon. Whichever version is traded in London gossip hence, I wish you to know my own. I owe you this much at least. 

To properly explain myself, I must first lay before you a short history of my family and of my connection with Mrs Eliza Campion. I have no intention of paining you, but however difficult, I must be allowed to relate these details to you with all possible honesty. 

I have only vague but pleasant memories of my mother, as she died shortly after Arthur’s birth when I was a young child, but my own beloved father, one of the very best of men, died when I was ten-years old. His death was a long and painful one, and we all suffered greatly to watch him slowly taken from us. He left behind my mother’s fortune, the house in town, and an estate with a small income in the neighbourhood of Sanditon. Tom, of course, inherited both the Bedford Square house and the estate, but although he still receives an income from the latter, he has settled much more happily at Trafalgar House. I still retain a great affection for the old place which was the site of many happy childhood memories and for a brief moment I even dreamed of settling there myself. Our mother’s substantial dowry was settled on Arthur, Diana and myself, a sum of £15,000 each when we came of age. After our father’s death, I returned to school at Winchester, and Arthur and Diana, due to their delicate health, were set up in a household In Weymouth. My sister oversaw Arthur’s education and managed their affairs. Tom was also educated by a master at home and afterwards made a tour of Italy where he became fascinated by ancient statuary, a passion which led him to consider a complete redesign of Sanditon village. Although I greatly wished to leave school, Tom insisted that I stay on, hoping perhaps that I would make connections that would help him with his growing business concerns. He was always a kind brother, and as a guardian I Iooked up to and respected him, but during my impressionable youth he was much distracted with Sanditon and with Mary, with whom he had formed an attachment during a season at Weymouth. At first I was lonely at school, prone to melancholy and often missed my home and family a great deal, but I eventually made friends with Babington and Crowe – who were loyal and faithful to me throughout this time and later at Cambridge. We remain close to this day, and Babington’s friendship in particular has been unstinting. Indeed, there have been times when I could not have survived without him.

It is through these connections that I met Miss Eliza Islington at a ball in London when we were both seventeen. She was beautiful and lively and had a fortune of £20,000. I do not wish to diminish my feelings for her which were real and strong in the extreme, but I can now see that it was also the first, very natural heart stirrings of a naïve young man, who had read much, experienced little, and was moreover somewhat starved for love and seeking excitement. I believed she returned my feelings and after a few weeks acquaintance she accepted my impulsive proposal of marriage. Perhaps it was unfair of me to propose, for I knew I would not be able to marry her until I came of age and into my fortune, but I was overjoyed at her acceptance; but within two months she had thrown me over for a Mr Campion, who was twenty years our senior. She did not love him, but he had a fortune of £10,000 a year. While I do believe that her attachment to me was true enough, I cannot dismiss the fact that she was secretly allowing and encouraging the attentions of another man before and after our betrothal. She was young and moved in a circle where improving one’s wealth and status were infinitely more important than affection and honour. That is all I can say in her defence. I now think I had my first lucky escape, but at the time and for many years afterwards I was devastated and full of yearning for her. I will not trouble you with the details of the downward spiral that followed. Suffice to say that I have much to be ashamed of from that time, and were it not for the efforts of Tom, Babington and Crowe, I doubt that I would be here to tell you of it. 

When I came of age, I determined to leave for Antigua where, again with the utmost naiveté, I thought I could easily double my fortune in the sugar trade, leave my pain behind and have a bit of adventure too. I could not have been more wrong in this instance. It is impossible to adequately describe the beauties and horrors of that place. The suffocating heat, the extraordinary landscape and sea, the strange sounds and smells were a heady assault on the senses, you cannot imagine anything more intoxicating.  
But then there was the trade.  
I don’t know what I expected it to be, but any illusions I had about slavery were shattered on the very first day I set foot on the island. Miss Heywood, my shame in this regard eclipses every other shame in my life, and yet it is a drop in the ocean compared to the suffering of the slaves that I saw in Antigua then, or the suffering of those that are still there and elsewhere right now, at this very moment. We are all so very culpable in this continuing horror, whether we want to accept it or not. 

I was not prepared in any way for this new world and very quickly fell back into behaviour that I would now wish to forget. Though not as licentious as I had been in London, I nonetheless speculated irresponsibly with my business concerns and, I must be open with you Miss Heywood, I gambled in excess, I drank to oblivion, and I fought for money. Forgive me, I have no wish to distress or shock you in relating this, but the unvarnished truth is what I promised in taking the liberty to write to you. Once again, I was saved from myself through the benevolence of friends. A business associate, Mr Lambe, Georgiana’s father, found me dissolute and dying of fever in my rooms, and he brought me to his house where his wife nursed me back to health with the utmost care and kindness. Mr and Mrs Lambe, who had once been a slave herself before her husband freed her, had one young daughter, Georgiana. I saw something of my younger self in her touch of melancholy, and in her romantic, and impulsive nature, but she was a very happy and charming girl and the apple of her father's eye. The Lambes helped me to get back on my feet, to extricate myself fully from the sugar trade as they had done themselves, and ultimately to find my way home again with money in my purse. I do not overstate the case when I say that they saved my life, and I will never forget their kindness. A few years ago, only a few months after his wife, Mr Lambe died and left his daughter and her fortune under my guardianship. She was sent to England with her maid at the age of seventeen to complete her education and to make a good marriage. I could not refuse my old friend’s dying wish.

You know all too well my history as Georgiana’s guardian. I have fallen far short of what I should have been to her, I cannot deny. A spirited young lady, was, I admit, a nuisance and impediment to my life at the time. I have no excuse to offer for my failures other than that I did not know what to do for her. I did not know what a young girl who had lost her parents, was ripped from her home and was alone in a foreign land might require. I should have looked to my own life for the answers, but I did not think to look there, and I was perhaps afeard to look until you brought me back to myself, Miss Heywood. I will not retread my mistaken paths here, no one knows them better than you, but rest assured that I have taken all of your remonstrations to heart, and I hope I have acquitted myself in your eyes and in Georgiana’s in this regard. 

I heard little of Mrs Campion after my return to England, and I truly hoped I would never see her again. I believe she spent much of her time at her husband's vast estates in Ireland. My hurt and anger gave way to disdain, and when I heard last year that she had been widowed my utter indifference seemed to indicate that I had left the foolish boy who loved her completely behind. Nevertheless, she had been my only experience of love and it had been so painfully hard to recover from that first disappointment. I fear I became quite an insensible brute in the years that followed in order to forget her. It became a kind of habit with me, and I did not know I could be otherwise until last summer when I could not escape the sensation that I was slowly coming alive again, despite my best efforts it must be said. By the time Mrs Campion appeared at Mrs M’s ball, I was suddenly feeling truly myself, a person so long a stranger to me and to everyone else that I thought I must be unrecognizable. I was happy for the first time in many many years. Fool that I was, I believed for a day or two, that it must have been her reappearance that had effected the change in me, despite the recognition that in her presence I felt strangely cold. It was at the regatta, rowing on the river, with you, when I realized all at once that it was something, someone else. And when you misunderstood my clumsy comment in the refreshments tent, I knew that I might lose something indescribably precious and essential. 

After the fire, I knocked on every door in London and approached everyone I could think of. I humiliated myself at every bank and was laughed out of every drawing room of note in Town. Tom’s name was synonymous with broken promises by this time. But in my moment of greatest despair before returning to Sanditon empty handed, Mrs Campion arrived at Bedford Square and offered to put up the funds. I was so incredibly relieved. I felt that I had misunderstood her and that she must truly be selfless to offer to lend such a sum despite the fact that I had let her know that my affections lay elsewhere. But I was wrong: there was of course a catch – I was to marry her for the money. The details she proposed for this transaction are too mortifying to put into words, and do not bear repeating for the preservation of her honour as well as my own, but I felt broken down and trapped. The alternative was to let Tom go to the debtor’s prison and see his family destroyed. I believed it was the punishment I deserved for the life I have led. I thought of the debts he had paid for me before I left for Antigua; I thought of the countless times he had picked me up and cleaned me up and tried to set me on the right path; I thought of dear Mary and the children. The only thing I could not bear to think of is the pain it would cause you. I had long since learned to live a shell of a life. I did not want to go back to that after having glimpsed the possibility of a future with you, but I convinced myself that I could do it again if it meant saving Tom and Mary and the children. I decided that you would be better off in the end. That your pain would be short lived. That you would find someone better suited to you who would never disappoint you or whose past was not so besmirched and unworthy of you, and that I could carry the pain of that parting for both of us. How wrong I was in the latter case! Another example of my being a fool in the extreme. Forgive me. Forgive me.

And now – I don’t know how, for I did not stop to ask before rushing to London to find you – but between them Babington and Tom have managed to find new investors elsewhere, and Mrs Campion has seen how worthless a life trapped by this venal and loveless bargain would be. She has released me from the engagement. 

I do not deserve this good fortune, but I cannot pretend that it has not come at a price, the most precious price of all – your trust. I cannot bear to think that I have shattered that or that you are in any small degree less open than you were before you met me. If you have found your happiness elsewhere, I will have been more fortunate than I deserve, for I can say with all my heart that your happiness is truly all that matters to me now. 

You may wonder why this was not told to you yesterday, but I was not sufficiently master of myself to know what ought or ought not to be revealed. I selfishly thought only of my own wishes. I do not want to entangle you in a correspondence or to further compromise you in any way. I have no expectations. I have no hope. But if you will receive nothing else from me, please know that you have my eternal friendship, my service, my good wishes for your health and happiness. And I earnestly hope that you will accept them

from your,  
Sidney Parker

Episode 8

As in beginning of season 1, we see Charlotte once again in Willingden. She seems restored to her true self, no longer a lily of the field as in London and more womanly and confident than she was before. She is heavily involved in helping her father with improvements on the estate and has made herself as indispensable as she was in Sanditon. She sees a lone gentleman on horseback approaching in the distance. Assuming it’s someone her father has been expecting on business from a neighbouring estate, she sends her younger siblings to tell her father that Mr Shale is coming up the lane and that she will follow in a bit once she has spoken to a nearby tenant family. They run off and she continues slowly along, she is more pensive since receiving Sidney’s letter. She eventually turns up in the drawing room for tea, talking about her conversation with the tenant as she enters. She is somewhat dishevelled, but fresh faced. Her parents tell her that she has a visitor – of course, it's Sidney. He has been getting on famously with her parents and is playing with some of her younger siblings by the fire who are already sitting in his lap. Alison looks at Charlotte with meaning as she enters, and it’s clear her parents also understand his visit for what it is, as all the reasons for Charlotte’s previous unhappiness have now fallen into place. 

Sidney is slightly nervous but gentle, open and unassuming (his truest self), all his previous urgency, arrogance and emotional caginess are gone: he seems very eager to please. He stands and bows to greet her formally and informs her that he has come with greetings from Tom and Mary and with an invitation for Miss Alison and Miss Heywood to visit Sanditon if they wish. Mr Heywood asks where he is staying, and he says he’s taken a room in the village for the night. Her parents invite him to stay at their house instead – any Parker is always welcome at Willingden House. He defers to Charlotte – would she mind? No of course not. He smiles. Charlotte when handing him his tea cup, is able to discreetly thank Sidney for his letter. He looks hopeful.

They all have a jolly evening of lively and comfortable conversation over the dinner table in the candlelight. Charlotte is obviously a product of her family, who are all intelligent, opinionated, generous and open. Mr and Mrs Heywood are an affectionate couple, open and at ease with one another. There is lively discussion about books and ideas and about notions of progress and modernity, which Mr Heywood disdains to the amusement of Charlotte and Alison, who team up to eloquently argue him down. Mr Heywood is pleased with his daughters and concedes their point while also making a good case for tradition and for avoiding running after the fickle mistress of fortune and fashion. He rather pointedly mentions to Sidney that although they haven’t much to settle on their daughters, as it is all sunk in the estate, they, rather unusually, believe their girls should be just as informed and engaged with the world as their sons in order to stand a chance at having some say in it and to make their own informed choices. Sidney seems absolutely comfortable, cheerful, and at ease in their company – it is clear that he likes and admires the Heywood family. Charlotte observes Sidney closely and wonders at the change in him. They exchange a tender smile over the candlelit table. 

Sidney awakes in his bed – the morning sun is shining brightly in his room and on his face. He’s had wonderful dreams of his future. As he comes down the steps he sees Charlotte and Alison in the entrance hall going into breakfast and says a shy good morning. The scene is all bright sunshine and bustle as children move in and out of the dining room and into the garden. In the garden, Sidney is throwing the small children around in the air when a servant arrives to inform Mr Heywood that a few of the farm workers are unwell, but the hay-making nonetheless needs to start that day. Mr Heywood says he and the older boys will have to help out in the fields today and Sidney also immediately offers to help. Cut to Sidney, shirt open, forking the hay in the sun-dappled field. Charlotte stands in the field and gazes at him from afar, and when he meets her eyes she does not turn away, as in the season 1 meeting on the beach. Charlotte enters the stable while he is washing his arms and face and asks how he is enjoying Willingden where nothing ever happens. When he mentions some aches and pains, she teases him that it be expected from a soft city dandy. Sidney is playful and laughing; it’s like the weight of the world has been lifted from his shoulders. He comes close to her puts one hand on her face to pull a bit of hay from her hair, outlining her cheek with his thumb. He bends to kiss her but then someone calls Charlotte’s name outside and she breaks away. 

Charlotte is leaning on the bridge staring into the river below. Sidney appears beside her. He is jacket less, and his cravat is loosened. He asks if she will take a walk with him. They walk along the hills in companionable silence, their fingers touch, then their hands entwine as they walk, he lifts her hand to his lips and kisses it. He helps her up an incline and pulls her close to him at the top. She gazes frankly into his eyes and at his lips. He says her name and then tells her that he knows he has no right to ask after all that has happened, but he can’t give up hope that he can earn her trust and love again. He wants to spend the rest of his life making up for lost time. All this time apart has only strengthened what he believes he has known almost from their first meeting: how precious she is to him, her intelligence, her courage, her generosity. He doesn’t want her to change, he doesn’t want to control or contain her, he just wants to do everything in his power to make her happy if she’ll marry him. She smiles. They kiss gently at first and then more passionately.

Back in Sanditon: The terrace is rebuilt. Tom, Stringer and Sidney are standing before it discussing plans for the Prince Regent's impending visit to Sanditon to check on his investment. We learn that Stringer has been working closely as an apprentice to Mr Nash to design and oversee the building of the pagoda which will be dedicated to the Prince. Tom’s vision has been brought to life with Stringer as partner and head apprentice architect and Sidney's financial oversight (because Tom is still Tom). We see Stringer spot someone coming out of Trafalgar House. He tries to excuse himself from the conversation to run after the young lady. Tom and Sidney are amused by this and after a bit of teasing they slap him on the back and tell him to go. Stringer catches the girl up and she turns around and beams at him - it is a radiant Alison. They walk off together. There is some affectionate brotherly banter and innuendo about Sidney's wedding, which is tomorrow. Sidney is a bit shy but also beams. He is utterly content and looking forward to his future.

Lady Denham and the Babingtons are taking tea in the garden at Sanditon House. Lady D and Babbers are fussing over the new baby and Esther dryly notes how disgustingly soft they have both become; nonetheless, she also clearly dotes on her daughter who has been named Sophia after Lady D. Lady D mentions that she has written a new will in which she will divide all her money between the further development of Sanditon and Esther. Esther tells her not to bother about her, but perhaps she might do something for Edward and Clara. They are despicable, but no one deserves to be flung out entirely to the wolves, especially Clara who has endured enough hardship at the hands of men. She and Babbers, who is holding the baby, exchange glances, but he says nothing and lets Esther handle Lady D. After a few minutes Lady D mentions that Clara has written to her begging for help after being abandoned by Sir Edward in Italy and that she thought she might perhaps arrange a modest annuity for her though she doesn't deserve it. Esther stifles a smile. 

We see Edward and Clara together in some dingy continental bolthole reading the letter from Lady D’s solicitor and laughing that they have finally extracted some money from her. They seem happy in their way, though they will always be striving for more. Clara is completely in control of Edward and he likes it.

Wedding bells in Sanditon and a country wedding in midsummer. Sidney and Charlotte marry and emerge in front of the church, they kiss. Everyone is overjoyed. Stringer and Alison exchange shy meaningful smiles – they are falling in love too; Lord and Lady Babs have their baby daughter with them, and Lady Denham dotes on her; Mr and Mrs Molyneux are arm-in-arm. We hear Lady S telling someone that Mrs Campion will marry Sir Elliott in an elaborate London wedding the autumn. 

We see the old Parker country estate near Sanditon where Sidney and Charlotte now live. It is the morning and Sidney awakens to Charlotte’s soft kisses on his chest and his mouth. She whispers his name. He holds her face and rolls her over in bed both laughing. Sidney buries his head in Charlotte’s hair and in her neck and kisses her lips tenderly. I love you Charlotte he says. The sun is rising over the sea.

The End


End file.
